NAROWAL: The district agriculture department has got registered FIRs against 29 fertiliser and pesticide dealers after samples of products manufactured by 46 companies proved fake after laboratory tests.

The department took action against these dealers after wheat crop cultivated on 2,173 acres in the district was destroyed allegedly due to the use of fake fertilisers and pesticides, causing a total loss of over Rs300 million to the affected farmers, as per the department’s estimates.

According to official data, of a total 458,000 acres of agricultural land in Narowal district, wheat crop was cultivated on 315,680 acres in 2024.

The farmers deplore that they faced an acute shortage of DAP and urea fertilisers and were forced to pay higher prices to the dealers who sold these agricultural inputs in the black market.

They say that they also used pesticides on time to save their wheat crop from pest attacks. However, they lament that the grain could not be formed due to the use of fake fertilisers and pesticide on the plants.

Muhammad Abrar, a resident of Chak Amro Tehsil, Shakargarh, says that he had bought fertilisers and pesticides from dealers in black market by paying excessive prices.

“I did not know that fake fertilisers and pesticide were being sold openly in the market,” he says, adding that his wheat crop on 19 acres has been destroyed due to these fake products.

A widow, Kulsoom Bibi, a resident of Noonar Town, Narowal, says that she cultivated wheat on nine acres of her land, but due to the use of fake fertilisers and pesticides, the crop gave no yield at all.

Another farmer, Muhammad Sharif, of Kot Nainan, says he had cultivated wheat after borrowing money, but due to the fake fertilisers and pesticides his crop, along with that of various other farmers, was completely destroyed, leaving them under a huge debt.

Muhammad Tanveer, deputy director, agriculture, Narowal, says that taking notice of the farmers’ plight, the department has got registered FIRs against 29 fertiliser dealers, who allegedly sold fake fertilisers to the wheat growers in the district.

He says the action was taken after fertiliser and pesticide samples of products of 46 different companies were taken from these dealers and sent to the department’s laboratories to ascertain their efficacy. However, he says that all these samples turned out to fake in laboratory tests.

He says that strict action is being taken according to the law against the companies whose products proved fake in laboratory tests by the agriculture department.

Mr Tanveer says that the wheat crop on as many as 2,173 acres has been destroyed due to use of fake fertilisers and pesticides in Narowal district, causing more than Rs300 million losses to the farmers.

The affected farmers have demanded Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz to take immediate notice of the situation and provide relief to them.

Published in Dawn, May 8th, 2024